CranioSacral Therapy, in which we use a soft, gentle touch to release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system, works to remove irritation from the nervous system and allow it to work the best it possibly can.

Not only is CranioSacral Therapy helpful for adults but also for children, teens and young adults for wellness and symptom relief. Some of the most common benefits include improved mental clarity, focus and improved sleep patterns. It can also help to reduce stress, impulsivity, anxiety, headaches and neck tension. [Read more…]

I just spoke at the Holistic Moms Network meeting in my area. What a great group of women! I love to see people committed to following a healthy way of life and passing it on to future generations! I will say that there was a fair bit that I explained while going through these handouts, so I’m not sure how much of it will translate easily into a blog. But those who couldn’t make the seminar have asked for it, so here it is 🙂
Please feel free to ask me if you have any questions!
Monica Mae Leibson, Dipl. Ac., Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula

Intro to Acupressure for Children

Acupressure can be a great way to help your child heal quickly from illness. Choose a time of day when your child is most calm, be it after a bath or just before bedtime. Kindly let them know that this will feel good and help them to get better. For young children, best to create a silly song and dance to go with the session. To stimulate the points you can choose from a few methods: [Read more…]

Many of you who are reading this are aware of the unlimited benefits of getting acupuncture and bodywork on regular basis! However, what do you do with your children when it comes to their health?

Children have very dynamic life and their bodies are rapidly changing. They are under a constant struggle between acclimating to new environments vs. their natural instinct of being who they are. As adults we have a hard time juggling between those factors at times, can you imagine how overwhelming physically and emotionally it can be for your kid? [Read more…]

Why is it that so many people suffer from constipation? And how can Chinese medicine help?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) problems, affecting about 42 million people in the U.S. – NIH website

Eliminating is related to the concept of letting go. In Chinese medicine, letting go is a quality affiliated with the Metal element (Out of the five elements – Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal) which the lungs and the Large intestine are a part of. Both these organs (more like functions than actual organ) in Chinese medicine are in charge of making sure we are keeping the valuable and are letting go of what is not needed – physically, emotionally and mentally.

On a physical level, the lungs take care of the relatively esoteric gas – the air. They are in charge of using the separating the oxygen from the rest so the body can use it and are eliminating the byproduct of the metabolism in the body, the CO2 – this process has a short cycle and it is repeated many times throughout the day (more Yang in nature). The large intestine deals with more substantial material which is what is left from the food after it is passing through the digestive system which occurs once a day, eliminates all that is not needed anymore and absorbs back water and key nutrients (more Yin in nature). When our body is done extracting the valuable resources from the air or the food – it is letting go of the waste.

On an emotional level – the action of letting go is controlled by the Metal element as well, Grief or Sadness are the emotions related to it. The lungs energy is allowing us to release sadness through crying it has the same energy as a seed the being spread by the wind or a chick that leaves the nest. On a more substantial level, the energy of the large intestine is allowing us to let go of possessions we no longer need. It is the same motion of a ripe fruit falling from the tree on to the ground. All of those are related to the autumn season.

Interestingly, the lung meridian (energy pathway) flows to the thumb and the large intestine meridian flows to the index finger- both fingers are used to form a grip. Letting go is a skill hard to master. It requires the ability to passively do an action, which is a contradiction in a way.

With acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition it is possible to work on those aspects and strengthen one’s body and mind ability to let go of what is no longer needed….the outcome is also better elimination 🙂

Are you under the weather? It’s exactly why you should come and see us.

Many people call in sick for work, rightfully so…even if they feel well enough to come to work, it is considered better to stay at home and not expose others – preventing further spread of the “bug” that is running around.

Often patients are calling our office canceling their appointment because they are sick with the same thought process as when they call off work. Being sick is actually an indication to come and get acupuncture and energy work treatment, this is what we are here for!! Back in the old days, herbal medicine and acupuncture (in the Far East) where the only medicine. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are very powerful tools also in dealing with upper respiratory diseases.

After catching a cold few days ago I got better, though my wife got sicker and last night started to cough profusely, her chest felt tight and her back started to hurt. Those are symptoms that can lead to pneumonia if not treated properly. Before running to the emergency care, I did acupuncture on her to try and help her body recover on its own. We made Ginger lemon honey tea, defused eucalyptus oil and did a massage on her chest and back along the Lung meridian. She had immediate relief, felt, better and we avoided the need for her to take antibiotics.Antibiotic is important and without it people can die, though it only gives a short term solution and reduce the immunity of the body in the long run which is making people prone to suffer from the same problem in the future and have it be harder to treat. Going to the Dr. is very important in order to make sure everything is under control, but before the medical need for drug intervention, there are many natural things that can be done.

Hi Dr. Quinn – I am concerned about the toxicity of sunscreens. Would you shed some light on this subject?The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently reviewed the dangers of sunscreen. Most commercially available sunscreens contain two major toxic chemicals; Oxybenzone, a hormone-disrupting chemical, and retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin-A that has been shown to accelerate the growth of skin tumors. The EWG recommends that consumers avoid sunscreens with vitamin A (look for “retinyl palmitate” or “retinol” on the label). Unfortunately, many ‘all-natural’ and organic, less-toxic sunscreens contain forms of zinc and titanium, which can have their own health risks in high doses. Ultimately, the EWG states that the best protection from the harmful UVA rays of the sun is a physical barrier such as clothing or shade. Below is a list of EWG-recommended sunscreen brands. For the complete list of specific products and ratings visit the EWG website at http://www.ewg.org/2014sunscreenAubrey Organics, Ava Anderson Non Toxic, Babo Botanicals, Badger Balm, California Baby, Elemental Herbs, Babytime by Episencial, Goddess Garden, Juice Beauty, Marie Veronique Organics, MyChelle Dermaceuticals, Raw Elements, Thinkbaby, True Natural

Eating Right forSUMMERTIME

Monica Mae Leibson, Dipl. Ac.

Summer is a time to grow and expand. We see trees blossoming and the sun shining radiantly. We can match our internal energy too by waking early in the summer, playing in the garden, and exploring the natural world around us. Traditional Chinese Medicine places great importance on eating right for the season. Eating less and eating light foods on hot days is a natural way of being in tune with the rhythms of the summer months. There are also specific foods that keep us in balance during this time.

These foods are sure to keep us hydrated so that our bodies can handle the heat of summer :

Mix ingredients together, toss gently with dressing, marinate for several hoursLet marinate several hoursServes 4Recipes from Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

A few moments with Eran Reznik

Q: Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into massage.

I knew for quite some time that I wanted to help people through practicing some kind of holistic medicine. Living in Israel at the time, the most serious training program was Traditional Chinese medicine. I studied to be an acupuncturist. I also wanted to be able to connect and help people through touch so I joined a Shiatsu program

Q:What makes your massage unique?

I believe touch is an essential tool in healing and have always been told I have gifted hands!. When I graduated from TCM school I wanted to expend my tools and went to study massage therapy.

The treatments I do are very different from the average massage. I combine techniques from massage, shiatsu, the use of acupressure points and the vast knowledge I have received in my Chinese medicine training. I look at the body as a whole and make the connection between the emotional and mental state to the physiological condition and the way the body is aligned.

Q:What type of conditions do you see in your practice?

I see many orthopedic issues involving lower back or hip pain and lots of shoulder and neck tension that are accompanied by chronic headaches and migraines. Most of them are inner connected to emotions that, when aligned, allow for the proper movement of energy in the body.

In Chinese medicine, the impact of seasonal allergies are related to the qi energy of the lung. The lung’ qi is our “defensive qi” and thereby prevents environmental factors from invading the body. Whenever the body is affected by any outside influence (like weather, mold, cats, dogs), this is a sign that the “lung qi” is not strong enough to protect the body. This is why there are two treatment strategies for seasonal allergies!
First, when symptoms are severe, the treatment strategy is to release the pathogen from our body. Acupuncture is the #1 way to accomplish this. Most patients notice an immediate difference in their allergies after acupuncture.The second treatment strategy is to support the lung qi so that allergy symptoms will be reduced or eliminated in the future. Acupuncture, along with Chinese Herbal Medicine and diet can make a significant difference! This is a strategy that we work on as maintenance treatment before allergy season begins!

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Acupuncture and Fertility Study

“Doctors with expertise in reproductive medicine have recently published that acupuncture and herbs are useful in the treatment of infertility, complications related to childbirth and for several other gynecological concerns. The doctors cited research stating that acupuncture and herbal medicine improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization. Pregnancy rates are improved in subfertile women undergoing IVF and in women with PCOS wherein ovulation may be restored using acupuncture. In the latter, acupuncture is noted as a treatment option for both reproductive issues and endocrine disturbances for women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).”

According to Reproductive Medicine Specialists from Penn State University, University of Gothenbery and Heilognjiang University

Make this a happy & healthy Summer.Don’t take a vacation from your health.
Call for an appointment today.

Free Press guest columnist Amanda Koch Gregory is a 30-year-old metro Detroit high school teacher of language arts. She and her husband, Jason, have an active and inquisitive toddler, Rocco Boone. They are navigating this crazy life as a family of three who enjoy late brunches on the weekends, Michigan road trips, and dancing in their living room.

Growing up, my mom talked about her own natural childbirths and breast-feeding us kids, so I considered breast-feeding the norm. She described the benefits of her own experiences and it must have had a great impact on me because when I did become pregnant, I found a midwife and birth center in a hospital that supported natural childbirth.

My husband and I also took one-on-one classes through Embracing Birth Childbirth and Postpartum Services in Ferndale. We learned valuable, and surprising, information about breast-feeding. I had no idea how tiny a baby’s stomach is during those first few days of life. And that colostrum is enough to fill them up. We learned about good latches and cluster feeding, and we were encouraged to not give our baby a bottle until he reached at least 1 month of age.

Parenting can be stressful, but it doesn’t always have to be.It is important to feel you have control of your household without overexerting yourself, or feeling like you are doing more work than anyone else in your home. Often I have found, that what is actually going on in our lives is less important than the level of control we feel that we have over the situation. Here are seven tips for less stressful parenting that have helped other families I have worked with, and hopefully will make things much easier for you too.

7 TIPS FOR LESS STRESSFUL PARENTING:

1. Avoid power struggles – Family problems often stem from everyone struggling for power within the household. Parents want to be in control of their children and the choices they make, while children want to be in control of their own choices. Children as young as [Read more…]

I recently held a seminar with Dr. George Nicoloff, who is board certified in Integrative Holistic Medicine. We were so excited to have over 60 people attend! We agreed to speak on the connection between the gut & immune system, as we know how deeply interwoven they are. We shared a lot of information in just a short time. So although this is not comprehensive, here is a portion of our presentation:

In Chinese Medicine, the relationship between the Lung (immune) and Large Intestine (gut) meridians:

* The Large Intestine is responsible for receiving waste material from the Small Intestine system, absorbing fluid content, and excreting the waste.

* The Lung organ is responsible for governing qi and respiration, regulating water passages, controlling skin and hair and opening to the nose.

* The Qi of both the Large Intestine and the Lung needs to descend to be healthy – when Lung Qi doesn’t descend, we cough.

Eat foods that are warm and easy to digest (temperature is important to gut) Steam vegetables as opposed to eating them raw (only eat raw in spring and summer)

Be careful with food combinations: Protein, fat, complex carb at every meal. Protein the size of your palm, carbs the size of your fist, fats the size of your thumb. See “Game On Diet” by Krista Vernoff

Eat slowly & intentionally. Chew thoroughly.

Lung Meridian =

Ways to care for the Lungs:

Practice deep breathing

Avoid toxic substances that are inhaled (toxic candles (lead and paraffin which is a petroleum biproduct), fumes, toxic household products)

I feel so fortunate to have found such a great doctor who takes time with each of his patients and has a background in holistic medicine. And between acupuncture visits and supplements/herbs, the immune & digestive system can be truly repaired.

Those who think
they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for
illness.”